A Penny for Your Thoughts
by 92alle
Summary: A Leddie fanfiction set between She's Electric and Ribbons, exploring their thoughts and developing feelings.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first ever fanfiction and I would greatly appreciate any feedback. I miss Leddie so much on Holby that I thought I would try my hand at writing a fanfic exploring their thoughts and feelings in the build up to their first kiss. Sorry in advance for any mistakes that I may have made. Hope you enjoy and I will try to update as soon as I can. Thank you!**

Chapter 1

Eddi sat at the nurses' station, examining her right hand carefully. She could still feel it tingling or was she imagining it? What was wrong with her? In that dark corridor, with adrenalin pumping through her body, with Luc asking her whether she agreed and with the young patient's life dependent upon her answer, all she had been able to think was the same: _what's wrong with me?_ For when Luc so unexpectedly grabbed her hand, she had been shocked by the jolt of, she didn't know what it was but she had definitely felt something, which shot up her arm and through her body, straight into her stomach and left a tingling in its pathway.

She could not understand it. It was not as if she fancied Luc. She hated him, had hated him since that first encounter up on the roof when he had been insufferable. _He was weird, patronizing, a sanctimonious teetotaler, he was 'Dr Freakenstein'! He lived in a camper van, in the hospital car park! He couldn't get any weirder than that. He even looked weird!_ To prove her point, she looked towards where he was, performing the manual extraction. _What a weir_..., well actually, if she was being honest with herself, there would be some women who would find him quite attractive. Not her, of course, she didn't fancy weirdos but he did have a handsome face, he was tall and he had a lean body. _Not too bad, not too bad at all Hemingway._

She was jolted from her thoughts by the realization that having finished the extraction, Luc was coming towards her. She quickly clicked on her e-mail inbox and busied herself, reading her mail. Luc returned the manual extraction patient's file and was picking up the rectal examination patient's file when he heard Eddi let out a cheer of joy.

'I know you're glad to be back but that's a bit OTT isn't it?'

Eddi showed him the e-mail from Hanssen and explained about the funding.

'That's a shame. I liked working in the dark', was his reply.

_I was right, he's such a weirdo._ 'Have you got dog's hearing?' she asked.

'No, I just look for signs', he said and removed the post-it note from the machine and stuck it on her shoulder and left.

Eddi felt his hand on her shoulder and looked to where his hand had been. She saw the post-it and removed it to read it. 'DO NOT REMOVE FROM AAU'. What did it mean? Did he not want her to leave AAU? But this did not make sense. He hated her. He could not wait for her to leave AAU. He could not bear to work with her. He had told her so. Or had he? She cast her mind back to New Year's Day.

'I can't stand any more of you. And I'm sure the feeling's very very mutual', she had said.

And he had replied, 'Is it?'

Was it? Had it been mutual? Or had it been just her? So what did this note mean? Did he actually enjoy her company? Instead of filling her with revulsion, this thought made her smile. _There I go again. What is wrong with me today? I hate him! Or do I? _ _To be honest, part of me enjoys the verbal sparring; I look forward to it and it gives me a better high than any alcoholic drink could._

Thoughts of New Year's Day brought back the memories of New Year's Eve and a vision of Luc in his boxers. She had been telling the truth when she said he had nice legs. He had very nice legs and an even nicer face; the kind of face that a girl could look at all day long.

She looked at Luc. He had a pained expression on his face as he performed the rectal examination with the junior nurse that she had assigned to him. The patient was not being co-operative and the nurse was not very experienced and therefore not very helpful. For a moment, she was tempted to go and help him but only for a moment. _For all those times you irritated me_, she thought as she smiled and stood up. Her shift was over and she had told Frieda that she would wait for her by the doors.

_What have I done?_ Luc thought as he performed the rectal examination. _Why did I stick that post-it note on her? DO NOT REMOVE FROM AAU. What must she be thinking?_ Well, he did not have to worry as she had made it very clear that she disliked him with a passion. _What is wrong with me?_ What was so special about her? Ever since that first encounter on the roof, she had piqued his interest like no other woman had done since Elise. He did not feel that he was betraying Elise's memory as she had died ten years ago and Elise would not have wanted him to remain single. They were both very different women and the only thing they had in common was that they were both very passionate about and committed to their profession. Elsie had managed to penetrate his socially awkward outer shell with her patience and kindness, two qualities Eddi seemed to lack, at least regarding him. However, she had managed to capture his interest and he could not explain it. She was everything he despised: a borderline alcoholic with an inverted snobbishness, mouthy, never shy of creating a scene. Yet, she was intriguing. And very pleasing to look at, a certain elfin charm about her! But he must stop thinking in this manner as it would only lead to heart ache, just like it had with Elise. Better to stay unattached and distant. Well, he did not have to worry as she obviously hated him but he was not going to give her any more 'signs'!

As she changed into her clothes, Eddi looked at the post-it note and debated whether to throw it away. It was no love note and they were definitely not a couple and he was not her type and he was still a weirdo but it was one of the nicest things any man had ever given her. She hadn't received any love letters from the previous men in her life nor had they been very complimentary of her. Therefore that little post-it note meant a lot more to her than she would ever care to admit. She put it away in her pocket and closed her locker. It had been a very long day but the day's events had taught her that she could be certain of two things: firstly, Luc might have the worst bedside manner ever but he was a brilliant doctor and he could be trusted to do his best for his patients always; secondly, he had a face that she might, just might, start liking to look at!

As Luc entered the locker room, he saw Sasha. Not having a normal childhood meant that Luc found it difficult to interact with others and make friends but Sasha made it so easy that Luc counted him as one of his few friends in AAU.

'What's this I've been hearing about a power cut and an evacuation of the ward? Eddi must be glad to be rid of the lot of us!'

'Actually, Eddi's still here. She's decided that she wants to hang around AAU for the foreseeable future'.

'Has she?! That's great!'

Luc was silent for a moment and then he looked at Sasha and smiled, 'Yes, yes it is. We can't afford to loose brilliant nurses like Eddi'. However, what Luc was actually thinking was that it would be nice to come into work tomorrow knowing that he could be assured of an exhilarating verbal sparring with Eddi. _The sparring was fine, let's keep it at that rather than complicate matters with 'signs' and thoughts about 'elfin looks'._

Eddi was standing by the AAU doors, waiting for Frieda. She was looking forward to a relaxing evening after the day she had had.

'Eddi!' Sasha said, coming up behind her, 'I heard the good news!'

'Good news?' Eddi looked at him blankly.

'Yes, Luc told me that you are going to stick around with us!'

'Did he now? I bet he must be devastated!' she smirked.

'Actually, he sounded quite pleased. Give him a chance Eddi. He's not so bad', said Sasha, defending his friend.

'So everybody keeps telling me!'

'Anyway I better go. Talk to you later', Sasha gave her a quick hug and was gone.

Eddi looked up to see Luc coming towards her, on his way home (if you could call that camper van of his, 'home', she thought. What a weirdo!)

'Another night out, Nurse McKee?'

He's never going to let me forget New Year's Eve, thought Eddi as she replied, 'Some of us have lives, if you must know, Mr Hemingway'.

'Well if it involves getting so drunk that you end up making a fool of yourself and choking on your own vomit, then I'd rather stay at home', he smirked at her and was gone as Frieda came up behind her.

'Think we need to arrange another rectal examination for Dr Freakenstein!' she said to Eddi.

Eddi watched Luc leave AAU and turned to Frieda, 'Naah. He's not so bad'.

Frieda stared open-mouthed as Eddi walked out of AAU. As she walked away, her hands in her pockets, Eddi felt the post-it note that she had put in there earlier. 'Do not remove from AAU'. There was a spring in her steps, so much so that Frieda had to almost run to catch up with her and her mouth curled up into a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews! Sorry it has taken a long time to update but I have been having problems with our internet connection. Also I apologise for not having much Leddie interaction in this chapter. Hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thanks in advance!**

Chapter 2

'A penny for your thoughts?'

Startled, Eddi looked up to see Sasha beaming down at her.

'Sasha!'

'Morning Eddi! You were lost in your thoughts. What's up?' Sasha said as he took the seat opposite her in Pulses.

Eddi looked at the cup of coffee she had been nestling in her hands. The coffee brought back the image of Luc in his wet lab. He had looked so lost. She had never thought of him as having feelings. Usually he seemed so detached, occasionally very cold. She had meant it when she said that it would not kill him to crack a smile. Then, he had come into AAU with a smile and she had wiped it off his face. He had only to look at her sombre expression to know that something had happened to Roy, his friend. Friend... it still felt weird to think that Luc actually had friends! Although, most probably Sasha considered himself Luc's friend.

Eddi sighed. 'It's been a long night Sasha.' She went on to explain what had happened to Roy Benson, the security guard and Luc's friend. Sasha did not seem to find it surprising that Luc had a friend.

'He looked so down Sasha. I've never seen him so low. You know, usually he has some witty comeback. He hasn't spoken to anyone since it happened. He should talk with someone'.

'Unfortunately Eddi I don't think Luc is the type of person who likes to talk about things'.

Eddi sighed again, 'Yes, you are right Sasha'.

Sasha looked at his friend with interest. Although he had not mentioned it to anyone, least of all his two good friends, he had begun to notice how they seemed to be taking an interest in each other. Although many people underestimated him, Sasha was very perceptive. He had never enjoyed watching Luc and Eddi arguing as he liked them both. Since the New Year, he had noticed a gradual change in their attitude towards each other. Although they still had their verbal spars, they seemed to actually enjoy these encounters! Eddi seemed to have softened towards Luc, at least she did not hate him any longer. Sasha was glad as he had always liked Luc. Yes, the man was a bit weird and not very sociable but he had a good heart.

He was positive Luc was not aware of this but he had noticed how his friend seemed to seek out Eddi in AAU. He did not ask anyone where she was but if Eddi was not present in AAU, Luc would spend his time surreptitiously scanning the ward till she arrived. Then, he would act as if he had not noticed her arrival or her presence. Eddi would declare to all and sundry how weird Luc was but then she ensured that she was in his company whenever possible. She said she hated the verbal banter but Sasha had noticed her glow afterwards and had once, even caught her secret smile. Also she seemed very keen to know as much as possible about Luc! Eddi would never admit to it but he had begun to notice how she covered for Luc with patients and management.

Sasha was not sure what conclusions to draw from his observations. There were times when they still exasperated each other. With anyone else, Sasha would predict quite confidently that they would be a couple before spring but this was Luc and Eddi. It had taken him so long to ask Chrissie out and he considered himself sociable. He imagined it might be much harder for someone like Luc who was not exactly well known for his charm! And Eddi was no Chrissie. He loved her but she could be prickly at times, which might make any romance difficult.

Sasha looked at her with a fond grin. Eddi was gazing at her coffee, deep in thought. She could not understand why she was so affected by Luc's unhappiness. Worse, she had actually wanted to stroke his head and to say not to worry as he sat there in his lab, looking very vulnerable! She was horrified by this thought. She was glad she had not acted on this idea. Luc would have been appalled and she would have never been able to face him again, let alone work with him. He had made it quite obvious that he did not want to talk to her. For a few seconds, as he looked at her, she had thought that he might say something. But he had looked away, without any acknowledgement, and continued reading his papers. She understood that he did not want to talk about it but she would be lying if she said she was not disappointed. Eddi did not want to closely examine her disappointment or her desire to comfort Luc. These thoughts made her uncomfortable so she preferred to ignore them.

They seemed to have developed a somewhat comfortable working relationship after the post-it note incident. Luc had never referred to the actual post-it or actually explained what it meant. The next time she saw him, it was work as usual. If she did not have that post-it note in her bedside drawer at home, she could not be blamed for thinking she had imagined it all. Her opinion of him had definitely improved over time. She had noticed what a good stand-in mentor he was for Frieda. She had even begun to enjoy his dry humour. She still thought he was extremely weird but he was bearable. She was positive they would never be friends but they could now be in the same room without killing each other.

Tonight had been a revelation. First of all, Luc had a friend! She knew Luc had gone paintballing a few weeks ago but his companions sounded more like colleagues. She remembered their conversation, outside his campervan. She had been coming into work, when she saw him come out with a rucksack.

'Hemingway! Skiving, are we?' she smirked.

'A good morning to you too Nurse McKee! You know me, any excuse to have a day off'.

'So where are you off to?'

'A spa break at Champneys', he smirked back at her.

She shook her head and smiled. A mini-van pulled up opposite them. Eddi peered inside curiously, while Luc looked uncomfortable. There were three men inside the vehicle.

'Morning Hemingway! Ready for some paintballing?'

Luc slid open the door of the mini-van as Eddi looked at him with folded arms and a big grin on her face.

'Paintballing?'

'Yes. They are some fellow researchers', he got in the van.

'Have fun!' Eddi called out as he closed the door.

The memory brought a smile to Eddi's face. Roy had said Luc played scrabble to humour him! She had never thought Luc would go out of his way to humour anyone. It was nice to get a picture of Luc from someone else's perspective. The man was an enigma. She had thought she had figured him out only to have this new dimension of Luc revealed.

Sasha was glad to see Eddi smiling.

'Ok, I better go and start my shift. See you later Eddi'.

'I should be heading home. I'm knackered! See you later Levy!'

Sasha hugged Eddi and then walked towards the lifts while Eddi headed outside.

Inside the wet lab, Luc stretched himself and rubbed his eyes. He looked at the empty mug of coffee. He remembered Eddi bringing it to him. He had looked at her, wanting to say something, wanting to say thank you. He appreciated that she was trying to make him feel better, with the coffee and earlier in theatre when he had felt claustrophobic and complained about the heat. He knew very well that the air conditioning was working and was touched when she remarked that she would get in touch with maintenance. But the words would not come out. Her eyes held depths of compassion and he wanted to reach out to her and be comforted but he did not move. The pain of failure, another life he was unable to save, was too raw so he looked away and continued to immerse himself in research. Work, his research, was his refuge. He would be able to save so many lives when it was complete. He found consolation in this thought.

Roy's death brought back memories of Elise and her death. He could not save either of them. He knew Roy had a bad heart but maybe if he had listened to him earlier rather than assume he was exaggerating his symptoms as usual, Roy may still be alive. He knew in reality this was quite unlikely but he could not help thinking _what if. _He was going to miss Roy. He would never admit it but he had enjoyed Roy's company during the long winter nights. To begin with, he had played scrabble to please Roy but he had come to enjoy the challenge. Thoughts of Roy made him think of Amy, his daughter. He remembered when he first met Amy. Roy had wanted him to have a look at her.

'Something's wrong Mr H but no one can say what it is'.

Unfortunately, he discovered that Amy had a rare form of Parkinson's disease. Because it was unusual for someone of her age to have it, she had remained undiagnosed for years and the disease had progressed rapidly. When he met them, Roy was struggling to look after her. Luc had arranged for her to have full time care and provided both of them with support as the disease progressed. She had reached the stage where she was unresponsive and unable to recognise family and friends. This had been particularly difficult for Roy to accept as she had been very close to him especially since her mother's death when she was five years old. Now, he would have to visit Amy and break the news of her father's death although she would not understand any of it. He was not looking forward to this but Roy had wanted him to visit her. Roy preferred visiting Amy with Luc as he could talk about the times when she was able to join in their conversations. He did not like to visit her on his own, he once told Luc, as he had no one to talk to and could only think about how she used to be.

Luc stretched once more and nearly knocked the empty mug off the table. Eddi... He did not know how he felt about her nor did he want to know. Slowly but surely, despite his best efforts to be distant, she was getting under his skin. He could not let this happen. He could not bear the heartache that surely followed when you gave yourself over to someone. She was a firecracker and he knew instinctively that she would burn him. It was best to keep away from her. But he could not help but think of her pretty face, looking at him, with compassion. That face... he could not get it out of his head.

'Back to work', he said to himself as he looked at his research papers again and pushed aside the image of that elfin face. Work was his saviour. It would protect him from pain.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for reading and the lovely reviews! Once again I apologise for not having much Leddie interaction in this chapter but I wanted to explore what I think was Luc's childhood. Hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thanks in advance! I promise the next chapter will have Leddie interaction!**

Chapter 3

Eddi walked along the basement corridors with a mug of coffee in her hand. As she entered the wet lab, she found Liam dissecting yet another rat and Luc sitting further away, beside a microscope, examining a sample of blood.

'Hi', she said. Both men looked up at her and smiled.

'Hello Ed! Are you off?' asked Liam.

'Yes. Are you coming home later?'

'Yes. I just want to finish this first'.

'Well, make sure you are not taking too much of Luc's time. His shift is over'.

Liam looked at Luc as he replied, 'It's not a problem. I was planning to work on my research anyway'.

Eddi walked up to Luc and placed the mug of coffee on the table. Luc looked at the coffee and remembered the last time Eddi had brought him a mug of coffee, after Roy's death. On that occasion, Luc had been unable to say anything and had looked away. This time, he looked at her and smiled gently, 'Thank you!'

Eddi smiled in return, 'I should be the one saying thank you,' she lowered her voice, 'I really appreciate what you are doing for him'.

'Like I said yesterday, there's no need to thank me'.

'I still don't get why you are helping m... him?' she had been about to say 'helping me' but changed it to 'him' as for reasons she would rather not explore further, it was easier to think of Luc helping Liam rather than her.

Luc gazed at her. 'He is interested in my research project and who knows, I might be able to persuade him to give me a sample of his blood'.

Eddi shook her head with a smile on her face.

'Also it gives me a chance to wind you up! Told you, that's my sole aim in life!'

'Such a comedian', Eddi smirked, 'You've missed your calling in life'.

Luc smirked back.

'Anyway I'm off now', Eddi said aloud, 'Liam, call me when you are done. I'm meeting Frieda at Albie's . I might still be around.'

'Guess that means a bacon butty breakfast on the rooftop tomorrow morning', stated Luc.

'Naturally', Eddi smirked, then smiled at Liam and left the lab.

Luc shook his head and smiled. Liam looked at Luc and then continued with his dissection. He liked Luc, he was a decent guy. He was glad that Eddi had a friend like Luc, who treated her with respect. Eddi had a tendency to go for bad boys who treated her with contempt so it was refreshing to see her with someone who was nice. Not that he had any evidence that they were more than friends but he could see some spark, some chemistry between the two and he hoped they would get together.

Luc could not deny that he felt relief at knowing Eddi was happy. He did not want to question as to why Eddi's happiness meant so much to him. He had noticed Eddi's distraction on AAU, before he even knew of her relationship to Liam, that day, after Roy's funeral. He had meant his offer of help. It had been made easier by the fact that he could see the potential in Liam and genuinely liked him. He would have been horrified if anyone suggested that maybe he was keen to like Liam because he happened to be the younger brother of Eddi. Then yesterday, in the office with Alex and Eddi, when Alex asked Eddi why Liam should be given another chance, Luc had looked at Eddi's face and seen her look very sad and instantly felt the need to wipe that look off her face (not that he would admit to this to anyone). So he had spoken for Liam which had resulted in Alex giving him another chance. There was no need for Eddi to thank him; he had done it for Liam; he reminded him slightly of Hugo. This prompted his offer, later in the locker room, to mentor Liam. It pained him to see Eddi distressed and looking so vulnerable. He had been seized by a sudden, strange, momentary desire to take her in his arms and comfort her and assure her that everything would be alright. He had been taken aback by this wish and covered up by making flippant remarks about what awaited Liam in Leeds. He wanted feisty, happy Eddi back. Again, when she finally turned around to look at him, he had felt a strong emotion wash over him. He did not want to explore or even acknowledge this feeling. Fortunately, she looked away and the moment was gone.

'That's what my family are like. They turn everybody's lives upside down', Eddi had said, when she was explaining to him that Liam was her brother. Luc could empathise with this thought. For him it was his mother, always his mother. He remembered the embarrassment and the guilt he felt whenever she suddenly visited him at his boarding school; embarrassment that she was causing a scene due to being high on drugs or not taking her bipolar medication and guilt at feeling embarrassed of his own mother. Hugo, bless him, was the only person in that boarding school who had not laughed at him, openly or behind his back.

His mother Giselle had been the only child of a successful barrister, Charles Hemmingway and his French wife Genevieve. They had spoilt her with love and money. She started to exhibit the symptoms of bipolar disorder in her late teens but by then she was the stereotypical wild child who had discovered drugs. Therefore she was not correctly diagnosed for years. A holiday in Mexico resulted in a pregnancy. She was not sure who the father was. It could be either a US marine or a nuclear physicist. She barely knew their names. She had no idea where they lived. They were meant to be holiday flings. She would have had an abortion if she had realised earlier that she was pregnant. Her parents supported her throughout the pregnancy, in denial about her drug addiction and ignorant of the bipolar disorder. When Luc was born, fortunately with no side effects due to Giselle's addiction except for withdrawal, he was named after his maternal great grandfather. And then Giselle was diagnosed with bipolar and slowly her life began to unravel. Her parents could no longer deny that their beloved daughter was an addict. They begged her to think of the baby but to no avail. They decided to withdraw their support and hoped this would encourage her to seek help. She had always been very dependent on her parents. However, she took Luc and ran away to live with her dealer. And so began Luc's childhood, moving from the home of one disastrous boyfriend to another, from school to school, from county to county. His mother was never in a relationship long enough for Luc to form friends in the neighbourhood or school. So little, lonely Luc taught himself to enjoy his own company. He never had any toys to play with. Some days, he had to go to school alone as his mother was too depressed to get out of bed. He learnt to entertain himself by reading books borrowed from the library. Most of the time, he had to feed himself. He came to depend on cereal for his meals. In addition, he had to care for his mother when she was in a drug-induced stupor or when she was beaten up by her latest boyfriend. Luc never hated his mother; he loved her; this was the only life he knew. The only occasions when he found some warmth and comfort was when following the latest suicide attempt, Giselle's boyfriend of the month would dump them outside a hospital and disappear from their lives. The doctors and the nurses would care for him while they treated his mother. That was when he had a thought that his family life may not be the norm. Also little Luc knew that he wanted to become a doctor when he grew up and save lives, maybe even his mother.

By the time his grandmother managed to find them, his grandfather was dead and his mother was living with yet another man who beat her. Unlike the other boyfriends who ignored Luc's presence, Phil enjoyed beating him up. However, his favourite form of punishment was to lock Luc inside a cupboard. Thinking of Phil brought back the memory of how he felt being locked up – the dark all around was frightening but worse was the feeling that there was no air; that he was going to suffocate. His grandmother wanted to take him away but Giselle refused. Although she did not admit it to herself, she knew that Luc was the only person who cared for her. She begged Luc not to leave her. He did not want to upset his mother nor did he know his grandmother who was a stranger to him. His grandmother agreed to leave them alone on the condition that Luc was sent to a boarding school for his secondary education. She set up a fund with enough money to ensure the rest of Luc's education. For this, Luc would be grateful to his grandmother forever. He felt he was on his way to becoming a doctor.

Boarding school was not a pleasant experience. He was not like the other boys. There was money for his education but he did not have the same lifestyle as the others. He could never invite any of them to his house. His clothes were never brand new but rather frayed. He had no toys to boast about. Worst of all, his mother would make periodic appearances, screaming and crying for him to come back to her as she had been dumped by her latest boyfriend. By this time, although Luc still loved his mother, his desire to become a doctor was greater and he knew that his only chance to do this was to stay at school.

It was while at school that he met Hugo, who was to become one of his few friends. Hugo came from a minor noble family who were struggling to make ends meet. He lived in a stately home with an estate and extensive grounds but his shabby clothes reflected the lack of income. Therefore the other boys laughed and made fun of him. Unlike Luc who did not let this upset him, Hugo would hide in a corner and cry. Luc took pity on him and befriended him. He protected him from the other boys. Hugo never forgot what Luc did for him. After leaving school, he managed to turn the family fortunes around. He was now married with two children and living in his family home and running the estate. Luc was a most welcome guest at any time and Hugo respected his need for privacy by letting him park his campervan and use his grounds whenever he felt the need to.

He was devastated when his mother committed suicide. He was only 19 years old and had started his journey to become a doctor. She had begged him to come and visit her, which he had done, only to discover her in the bath, with her wrists slashed. He was traumatised. But at the same time, it was a relief. For years he lived with the guilt that he was unable to save her and that he was relieved when she died. Elise had been able to help him see that this was a natural reaction considering his childhood and he had no reason to feel guilty. His grandmother died soon after and willed him whatever money she had left. He used some of the money to buy his beloved campervan. Thoughts of Elise made him think of Eddi. Two very different characters but they both affected him in a similar manner. The thought made Luc uncomfortable. He looked up to see Liam finishing his dissection and went over to join him.

After leaving the wet lab, Eddi made her way to Albie's. Frieda was waiting for her. Since the New Year, Eddi had tried to lead a healthier lifestyle. She had given up smoking and managed to limit her drinking to the weekends. Even then, she tried not to binge drink. She joined Frieda and got herself a glass of wine.

'So how was your day? Are you still babysitting the newbie?' Eddi asked.

'Yes! Malik thinks it's good for me. She's not too bad but, she has so many questions all the time. She drives me nuts!'

'Poor you', Eddi sympathised.

'How about you? I hardly see you now. How's Liam? Did Alex agree to let him work in AAU?'

'Oh God! It's been a nightmare!' She quickly filled her friend in, in what had happened after Liam's arrival.

'So Dr Freakenstein is mentoring Liam?! Interesting!'

'Yes! I was surprised but he's been very helpful. I don't know why. And Liam seems to have taken a shine to him. At least he listens to him. You won't believe it but he only left the theatre yesterday when Luc asked him to!'

'Eddi, you have no idea why Luc is being helpful?' Frieda looked at her friend.

Eddi looked uncomfortable, 'No!'

'Really?!'

'Really', repeated Eddi.

'Well I can only think of one reason'.

'And what's that?' asked Eddi, not too certain whether she wanted to or not, to hear the answer.

'Because he likes you Eddi!'

'No he doesn't', Eddi replied instantly, 'He hates me'.

'He hates you? So he helps your brother, a stranger, who according to you is a bit of a tearaway.'

'Most probably he wants to show me that he can do a better job than me', said Eddi with no conviction.

'Yeah right! He has nothing better to do with his time than show you up by mentoring your brother!'

Eddi knew that Luc did not help Liam because he wanted to show her that he was better than her. She knew he was genuine in his desire to help and it warmed her heart to see him get on so well with her brother. However, she had no idea what motivated him to offer his help. She remembered how surprised she had been when he first offered to help.

'Anything I can do to help?'

At first, she wondered whether he was being flippant but realised he was genuine. She declined his offer. She hated to ask anyone for help, especially Luc. She did not want him to think that she was weak and unable to deal with her own family. But she was touched that he would want to.

'Liam thinks Luc is the only one who treats me with respect. But he's wrong. Sasha treats me with respect. And so do you', Eddi told Frieda.

'That's right', Frieda agreed, 'But Luc is the one who is helping Liam right now. Not Sasha. Not me'.

'What are you trying to say Frieda? Luc hates me. You've seen the way he talks to me. That's no way to show anyone respect!'

'Yes and I've seen the way you talk to him! The two of you, like an old married couple!' Frieda laughed at Eddi's horrified expression, 'You know the saying, there's a fine line between love and hate!'

'Now you've gone too far! I can't imagine Luc loving anybody, ever, let alone being married to someone!'

Although there was no reason why a woman would not find Luc attractive. In fact, despite being distracted by Liam's arrival, Eddi had to admit to herself that Luc looked quite hot wearing a tie! He was very appealing even in those unflattering scrubs. Despite her distress yesterday, she had been acutely aware of his attractive presence when he sat beside her in the locker room. This unnerved her and she had moved her shoulder slightly, away from him. And then, he had made his extraordinary offer. She could not understand why he would want to help. Was it to show her that she was not a good sister?

'I just think he might respond better... to someone who wasn't his sister'.

It made perfect sense. She looked at him, into his eyes. They were full of concern and compassion. She felt a sudden desire to be held in his arms and to be comforted by him. This confused her so she looked away. She could not explain it but in that instant when she looked into his eyes, she had felt that she could trust him to make things better and she was grateful.

She was startled from her thoughts by the ringing of her phone. It was Liam informing her that he was ready to go home.

She walked out of Albie's with Frieda.

'I still don't get why he helped me? I thought he hated me'

'Maybe he doesn't hate you as much as you think he does. Eddi, have you heard of the red thread of destiny?'

'No, what's that?'

'It's an old Chinese legend that the gods tie a red thread around the ankles of people who are destined to be together or who are meant to help each other in certain situations. Maybe Luc is your red thread partner'.

Eddi looked at her incredulously, 'Frieda, are you serious? Luc? Destined to be with me? I can just imagine his horrified expression if anyone suggested that to him! He hates me Frieda.'

'He can't hate you. Otherwise he wouldn't help you. I mean, I love you but I'm not sure if I would have been able to mentor Liam. And Eddi, you know what I find interesting?'

'What?'

'All this time, you've been telling me how much Luc hates you. But you haven't, not even once, said that you hate him!'

Frieda hugged her friend and walked away, 'Bye!'

Eddi stood there, looking after her and as the realisation dawned that her friend was right, she shook her head and smiled in disbelief.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for continuing to read and the lovely reviews! As promised, there's Leddie interaction in this chapter! Hope you enjoy and it's not too cheesy! Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Thanks a lot! **

Chapter 4

Eddi and Luc stood at opposite ends of his campervan, putting all his belongings back in place. They worked silently, comfortable in each other's presence. Liam must have been very angry with him as it looked as if a tornado had ripped through the campervan. Luc did not approve of Liam vandalising his campervan but he understood why he did it. He had gained the boy's trust and then betrayed him. He remembered this feeling only too well, having been the recipient of his mother's broken promises. Unfortunately, when a patient intrigued him and he was concentrating on saving a life, everything else paled in comparison.

'I knew you were cold. I knew you liked to keep your distance but I didn't think you were cruel'.

Eddi's words kept echoing in his head. Although what she said was true, he did like to keep his distance and some might perceive this as being cold, somehow he was disappointed that this was Eddi's opinion of him. He did not want to try and understand why it was so important to him that she thought well of him.

Luc looked up to see Eddi looking at him. He smiled at her and she smiled back. He loved the way her eyes and her face lit up when she smiled. This thought made him uncomfortable so he quickly looked away. He was touched that Eddi had come to help him clear up her brother's mess. He glanced at her. She was putting away his coffee in the wrong cupboard but Luc did not say anything. She had put away several items in the wrong place. At first, Luc had been about to show her the correct place but had chosen to remain silent because he knew her heart was in the right place and he was grateful that she was in his campervan, helping him rather than having a night out and getting drunk with her friends.

Eddi put away the coffee and glanced in Luc's direction only to see him look hastily away as he put up some post cards. Her gaze moved slowly from his face down to his shoes. He is a very fit bloke, she thought to herself. She thought back to New Year's Eve when she had seen him with fewer clothes and even then, in her drunken state, she had been aware that he had a nice body! Eddi smiled as she looked back at his face. He had a lovely face too. She had said that he was cold and that was true. Also he could be infuriating but occasionally, she had seen such a gentle expression on his face. She had to admit that recently these gentle expressions were mainly aimed at her. Examining his face from that distance, she could barely make out the tiny scar under his left eye but knew that it was there. She had often wondered about that scar but so far, had refrained from asking. She had a sudden desire to trace the scar with her finger. This thought embarrassed her and she quickly looked away. Luc would be horrified if he was a mind reader. Her embarrassment made her feel hot so she removed her scarf.

Luc looked up to see Eddi placing her scarf on the seat. His gaze naturally shifted to her neck. For such a fiery personality, she had a lovely, delicate neck. He shook his head in confusion. _What is wrong with me? I must stop thinking of Nurse McKee as a woman._

Eddi's embarrassment made her think it was better to talk with Luc rather than work in silence and have these thoughts. She spied a pillow.

'How many pillows do you have?'

Luc was surprised to hear her voice. He had been enjoying her silent company, 'Two'.

'We seem to be missing one. I found one', she picked up the pillow.

Luc looked around him, 'Ah, here's the other one!'

He picked it up and came to join her by the bed. As he placed the pillow on the bed, their hands accidentally brushed against each other. Eddi was taken aback by the tingling she felt coursing through her body. She wondered if Luc had noticed her reaction but he was looking rather confused and arranging the pillows.

Luc had felt the tingling at the same time as Eddi. He was confused by these emotions and sensations that were assailing him. It had been such a long time since he had felt them that he could not remember how he should react. He turned around to be confronted by Eddi's flushed face. _Was she not well? Did she have a temperature?_ These thoughts were instantly pushed to the back of his mind as he became aware that he was alone in the campervan, standing very close to Eddi who was gazing up at him with her mouth slightly open. Eddi too was very aware of Luc's close presence and caught in the moment, could only gaze into his eyes and hope Luc could not hear her heart beating wildly.

_What do I do? I don't know what to do. I can't stop looking at her! My heart is beating so loudly. Surely she can hear it. Oh god, I can't breathe! Help me, Eddi!_

_Oh my god! My heart! Is he going to kiss me? Oh god, what do I do? Do I want this? I feel so hot. My cheeks are burning up! Is he a good kisser?_

Luc took a step closer to Eddi, 'Eddi...'.

There was a knock at the campervan door and both of them turned their heads to see Liam entering.

'Hey guys', Liam stopped as he took in the scene, his sister and Luc standing quite close to each other, looking at him, 'Sorry, am I interrupting anything?'

Luc and Eddi moved away from each other.

'What? No!' said Luc looking confused, 'Your sister was just helping me to put away stuff. I was just about to ask her whether she had seen my notepad which I'm sure I left on my bed this morning'.

Eddi looked at Luc. She felt rather disappointed by his reply but tried not to show it. She knew what she had felt just a moment ago. For one crazy instant she had thought that maybe Luc was feeling it too but obviously not! She started to look around for his precious notepad.

Liam looked from his sister to Luc, 'Right. Why don't you guys take a break? I'll look for the notepad and put away the rest.'

Luc looked at Liam.

'It's my way of saying I'm sorry. Didn't realise Eddi would beat me to it'.

Luc smiled and sat down.

'Anyway, what are you doing here Liam?' Eddi asked as she took the seat opposite Luc, 'Thought you'd be celebrating your release with your friends?'

'I was! But then I realised I wouldn't be celebrating if not for you two guys. And then I remembered I never said sorry to Mr Hemmingway here. So here I am!'

'Well Liam, you didn't have to, but thank you!'

Eddi smiled. She was happy that her brother was showing a more mature attitude. Liam put away the rest of Luc's belongings as he chatted to both of them about his future plans. Luc thought that once the McKees left, he would have to put his belonging back in the correct place but he was touched by the fact that they were helping to clear the mess.

'Oh here's your notepad!' Liam had found it among the books Luc had put away.

Eddi looked confused. _Didn't he notice it before?_

Luc blushed as he took the pad, 'I must've missed it. Thanks!'

Liam took the seat beside Eddi.

'Let me get you something to drink,' Luc stood up, 'Sorry, nothing alcoholic,' he smirked at Eddi who returned the expression.

He placed the glasses and the cartons of orange and apple juice in front of them.

'Liam move over', Eddi stood up, 'While we are here, I might as well cook dinner'.

Luc looked up at her in surprise. Somehow he had never pictured Eddi as a cook. Drunk, yes, eating a takeaway, yes but never actually cooking food! 'Are you sure? Do you know what that is?' he pointed to the hob.

Eddi narrowed her eyes at him, 'Yes Mr Smartass! I'm actually a good cook. Just ask Liam'.

Liam nodded his head in agreement, 'Yes, she's a good cook. When I was small, Eddi always cooked our tea because most of the time Mum was too drunk to care'.

'Well as long as you promise not to kill me, I guess it's ok'.

Eddi glanced at Luc and smiled, shaking her head. Then she turned around to the hob.

'So Chef McKee, what delightful dish are we to expect this evening? Beans on toast?

As Eddi turned around to reply, Liam piped up, 'Oh yes! Eddi can make a mean beans on toast!'

Eddi glared at Liam, 'Well that's when I was very young. My culinary skills have improved over the years. Let me see', she opened the cupboards above the hob, 'Ok, get ready for tuna pasta'.

As Eddi began to boil the water for the pasta, Luc quizzed Liam about his childhood. Liam's remark about Eddi cooking for him reminded Luc of having to learn to cook for himself and his mum. When he was very young, he had depended on cereals but as he grew older, he learnt to do the shopping and had begun to cook. He too had started with simple dishes such as beans on toast.

'Eddi was lucky. She knew her dad but by the time I came around, Mum was hooked on the booze so she wasn't too sure who my dad was'.

'Right', replied Luc with a pang of empathy.

'Yeah, Dad was great', joined in Eddi with a wistful look in her eyes, 'We were happy. But then Dad died, in a car accident. And that's when Mum took to the bottle. I mean both she and Dad always liked a drink but after he was gone, I guess she couldn't handle it and before I knew what was happening, she was drunk all the time'.

Luc looked at her with sympathy, 'It couldn't have been easy for you. How old were you? When your father died?'

'Oh I was 6. Such a long time ago. It was hard but then Mum had Liam and I had a baby brother to look after', she smiled at Liam.

'Mum is lovely when she's sober but that doesn't happen very often', continued Liam, 'I don't blame Eddi for leaving when she did'.

Eddi felt that familiar feeling of guilt. She had left because she could not bear to live with her drunken mother but she would never forgive herself for having left Liam behind. However, she had been in no position to bring up a young child. She had always planned to get Liam over when she was in a better financial situation but somehow this never transpired. She noticed that the pasta was boiling and drained the water. She looked around for a spoon.

'Luc, have you got a spoon? I can't see one here'.

'Let me get it for you'.

Luc stood up and came close to her. The area around the hob was quite cramped and there was hardly any room for him to move around.

'Excuse me', he slid past her to a cupboard.

Once again, Eddi was acutely aware of his presence. _This is impossible. How am I meant to work with him if every time he comes close to me, I react like some teenager!_ If she was not so absorbed by her thoughts, she would have noticed that Luc looked rather flustered too. He dropped the spoon twice before he was able to wash and give it to Eddi. He slid back past her, not daring to look at her.

Liam was watching them and noticed his sister's flushed expression, 'You ok Ed? You look a bit hot?'

Finally, Luc looked at Eddi's face. Liam was right. She looked as if she had a temperature. He took a step towards her.

Eddi looked at both men, feeling even more flustered. She could see Luc stepping towards her. God forbid, he should try and check if she has a temperature! 'Of course I'm hot! I'm cooking'.

Instead of approaching her, Luc went and opened the door, 'Let's get some fresh air'.

As he came back to his seat, he marvelled at how different but at the same time how similar his childhood was to Eddi's. Both their mothers had to fight their demons and they, as children, had got caught up in the battle. And they both carried the scars to prove this.

Liam continued to talk about his life after Eddi had left. While Eddi was glad that Liam had bonded with Luc, she was not sure if she liked him retelling their life story. While she was certain Luc would never gossip, she was uncomfortable with him knowing so much about her life when she knew hardly anything about him.

As he listened to Liam, Luc glanced towards Eddi who was adding the finishing touches to the pasta. He looked on horrified as she sprinkled grated cheese on top of the tuna pasta. He opened his mouth to protest but then shut it. Eddi proceeded to spoon the pasta on to three plates and then joined Liam at the table.

'Are you sure this is edible?' asked Luc.

'Be glad Hemmingway that you've got food on the table!'

She waited expectantly as Luc took some in his mouth. The pasta was over cooked. He preferred it al dente. It had a bit too much salt than he was used to. Worst of all, she had added cheese.

'Wow, Chef McKee! You are a woman of many talents. One of the best dishes I have had in a while!'

'So who's the better cook? You or me?'

'I hate to admit it but I won't lie. I'm better in the lab than in the kitchen!'

Eddi glowed with pleasure and began to eat. Luc was glad that he had lied. Seeing Eddi happy made him smile. Luc would never admit to Eddi that he was a better cook than her. A messier cook, but definitely better than her. They had both had to learn to cook as children. But Luc had travelled the world and learnt to cook various dishes from the locals. In Italy, he learnt that you never added cheese to tomato-based fish pasta dishes hence his horror at Eddi's liberal use of the grated cheese.

Eddi felt Luc's eyes on her and looked up. Before he could look away, she asked, 'So Luc, how did you get that scar on your face?'

Luc rubbed his scar, 'This? It was a rite of passage. I belonged to a gang when I was a teenager and we had to prove ourselves'.

Liam looked astonished, 'What? Man, I would've never guessed? What was it like?'

'Calm down Liam', Eddi continued to look at Luc, 'In his spare time, Luc is a comedian. But his jokes are not that funny so from time to time, he has to practise them on us'.

'Really?' Liam looked from his sister to Luc and realised they were both not being serious, 'You two are impossible. Taking advantage of a vulnerable teen!'

All of them laughed and continued to eat their food. Luc was used to being alone but he was enjoying the company. It had been a long time since anyone had cooked for Luc_. I could get used to this._

'Ok, your turn', Eddi looked at Luc.

'My turn?'

'Yes, the dishes. I did the cooking. You can do the dishes'.

'Well, in a lot of cultures, the person who does the cooking does the dishes too'.

'Uhhh, not in my culture'.

'Right. Well I guess it was too much to expect you to be good at everything!' Luc smiled at Eddi.

'Hang on. That's not what I said. I am good...'

Liam was trying his best to keep up with their banter, looking from one to the other.

'Guys, guys, hold on', he joined in, 'I'll do the dishes.'

'It's ok Liam. I was just teasing your sister. I'll do them'.

'Naah, it's the least I can do', Liam stood up and picked the plates.

Eddi and Luc remained seated, smiling at each other.

'Thank you for the lovely dinner!'

'No worries! Thank you for everything you have done for Liam'.

'I told you. You don't have to thank me'. With that, Luc stood up to help Liam with the dishes. Eddi tried to stand up.

'Just sit there and relax McKee. I'm sure all that cooking must have exhausted you. Hard to admit but no longer a spring chicken, are you?'

Liam burst out laughing while Eddi glared at him.

Once the dishes had been done, they said their goodbyes and left Luc's campervan. As they walked away Eddi looked back to see Luc standing and watching them. Their eyes lingered for a second and then Luc smiled and closed the door.

'I like Luc, he's a nice bloke.'

Eddi remained silent.

'So what's up with both of you?'

'Uhhh what do you mean?'

'It's obvious you fancy each other!'

'What?!'

'Ed, I'm not blind. I could see the way you were looking at each other. And anyway I could feel this...this vibe.'

'Vibe? Are you ok Liam?'

'I'm fine Ed. I'm not the one who was all hot and bothered in there'.

'I was cooking!'

'Yeah right, it wasn't that hot. Oooh Eddi and Luc, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I...'

'Grow up Liam!'

She could not deny it any longer to herself. Her reaction to Luc tonight proved that she was attracted to him. Frieda was right. She no longer hated him. In fact she liked him, a lot! She loved the easy banter that they shared. However, she was not sure of his feelings towards her. At one point, there in the campervan, for a second, she had wondered whether he was going to actually kiss her! But then, it transpired that he was looking for his precious notepad! The man was impossible. She was not certain how he felt about her but she definitely liked, actually not just liked but fancied him. But did he like her? Sadly, she was not certain of the answer. They no longer fought as they used to and he had been very helpful with Liam. But she had noticed him being very helpful to Sasha. Most probably he was starting to consider her a friend and that is why he offered to help with Liam. Whatever Liam may think, until she was sure of his feelings, she would not risk being ridiculed by giving him any hint as to how she really felt. She could not believe that a couple of months ago, she could not stand this man and now she was hoping he liked her! _Oh the irony of it all!_

'Let's go home Liam', she smiled sadly at her brother.

Luc was seated with the television switched on to the news but not actually watching it. He was thinking what a pleasant evening it had turned out to be. True, he had ended up having to put a lot of items away in their correct place but it had been worth it to spend the evening in the company of the McKees. He had not been this happy for such a long time, well not since Elise. He had a vision of Eddi's pretty face as she looked back at him. He smiled. He could not deny it any longer. He liked Eddi, he liked her a lot. He had been intrigued by her from that first moment on the rooftop. He had nearly kissed her in the campervan. He was horrified because he was not sure of Eddi's feelings towards him. He had not been in a serious relationship since Elise. With Elise, the relationship had progressed very smoothly. But Eddi was very different to Elise. It was only a couple of months ago that she declared that she could not stand him. Although they seemed to have come a long way since then, Eddi with her fiery personality was hard to read. He definitely did not want to jeopardize his career with a charge of sexual harassment against him, which he could very easily imagine Eddi doing!

Suddenly his phone rang. He looked at the display. It was his friend Hugo.

'Hugo! How are you? How's Kate and the kids?'

'Luc! We are all fine. And you?'

'I'm fine. It's been awhile, hasn't it?'

'Yes, I think we last spoke during Christmas. Anyway, I was wondering, I'm coming that way tomorrow. Got a meeting in Bristol. Any chance of a catch up?'

'Of course! I'm off tomorrow. It'll be good to catch up. A lot has happened'.

'Is everything ok?'

'Yes, yes. We'll talk tomorrow'.

They arranged the time of their meeting and then Hugo hung up. Hugo, his oldest and one of his few friends. He was more than just a friend, he was his family. He had been there for him, through the few good times and the many bad times. It would be good to talk to him.


End file.
